Kancha Ilaiah: Even if 10% dalit children got English education, India would change

Kancha Ilaiah is a political scientist, writer and dalit activist. Speaking with Swati Mathur , Ilaiah discussed the growth of a dalit intellectual group, how this differs from dalit politicians, reservations — and the one ingredient which could make a huge difference to real development:Recently, as dalit leaders criticised Ashis Nandy's views, you supported his right to free speech — is the dalit intellectual markedly different from the dalit politician?

Well, dalit politics is an older idea. Dalits began emerging within the Congress and socialist parties. Eventually, they didn't get the space they should have, especially in the communist parties. For example, Bengal, where the communists ruled, has seen no prominent dalits in the mainstream political realm.

The dalit intellectual stream is a later development. It required sophisticated education which the political stream did not — for instance, Karpoori Thakur, an almost illiterate barber, became chief minister of Bihar. The dalit intellectual class is emerging. With all the humiliations and the baggage, some are surging into the intellectual space.

I think the connection bet-ween the two groups is B R Ambedkar. He was an outstanding intellectual, yet discriminated against — that's when he organised anti-untouchable movements, entered Parliament and went on to write the Indian Constitution.

But the fact is, at a mass level, at forums like the Jaipur Literature Festival which over a lakh attend, dalits still remain under 0.05%. Dalits have not come to formulate sophisticated thought through novels or story-writing. There's some work in theoretical writing but there's still no dalit intellectual close to where Ambedkar was.

Why is this group growing slowly?

The main barrier is the lack of English education, still a faraway dream for most dalits. The liberal arts aren't an operational zone for dalits. One solution is to encourage dalit children to study the arts. Our educational focus is currently mediated by money, therefore, the interest in civil services, medicine and engineering. But for dalits to emerge as ideologues like Ambedkar, Nehru and Gandhi, a focus on liberal arts is necessary.

Why are several development targets for dalits still unmet?

Well, take someone like Maya-wati who ruled concretely in only one term — it's not easy to fulfil such aspirations in a short span of time. And there's a larger problem of priorities in her politics. The dalit Bahujan wants educational equality, establishing uniformly good schools for all children from nursery to class 12. No amount of land, jobs or money can bring true equality — only education can. To bring dalits on par, the only way is through education.

Mayawati isn't serious about that. But she should recognise this. So should dalit leaders with the Congress, a ruling party which depends heavily on dalits, some in prime positions like Meira Kumar and Sushilkumar Shinde. They must push for the same language of instruction for all children — if upper-caste children are taught in English, we should be too. We're demanding the same environment and opportunities. Then, after 30 years, remove reservations, let there be fair competition — dalit children will manage.

My parents were illiterate shepherds. With one generation of education, look where i am, speaking English, communicating with the world, going places. This is an asset dalit leaders must acknowledge — and harness.

So you'd support continuing reservations?

The dalit's main agenda is not reservations. My way of equality is English education. Even if 10% of our children got English education, the intellectual field would have changed. This country would have changed. My hope is education, not reservation — and i emphasise, English education.

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